Health

A healthier student is more successful. Health programs in schools help our youth succeed. Students who are provided sexual health education are NOT more likely to become sexually active, NOT more likely to increase sexual activity, and NOT more likely to experience STIs and teen pregnancy. Sexual health education programs actually reduce these risks. Students who are involved in teen pregnancy or experience STIs face bigger challenges when it comes to school success. Sexual health education helps to protect and support students’ sexual health and build their academic achievement.

Most youth are not sexually active. In fact, less than half of all high school students have ever had sexual intercourse. Without education about how to prevent STIs before becoming sexually active, teens are more likely to become infected when or if they eventually do make that choice. Sexually active youth are at a high risk for STIs. Prevention education helps students make healthier choices & reduce their risk.

Peoria is the 12th largest county in the state of Illinois by population; however, Peoria is ranked #1 in the state for highest Gonorrhea rates, and #2 in the state for highest Chlamydia rates. Educating youth about sexual health, prevention, and STI testing is very important to reducing STI rates in our community.

The good news is that teen pregnancy rates have been going down across the country and even in our Peoria community. Peoria County still has teen birth rates higher than the state of Illinois, and nearly 4 times higher than the national teen birth rate. For every 1,000 teen girls in Peoria, 84 become teen moms. There is research to support that only 50% of teen moms earn a high school diploma. Teen parents and their children are at risk when it comes to teen pregnancy. Kids of teen moms often have a delay in their development because of the challenges that teen parents face. Sexual health education empowers youth to make healthier choices, plan their futures, and reduce their risk of unplanned pregnancy.

It is now the law in Illinois that if sexual education and health is taught in public schools, it must be a comprehensive approach, including both abstinence and contraception. - Illinois State Law HB2675

Evaluations of comprehensive sex education programs show that these programs can help youth delay onset of sexual activity, reduce the frequency of sexual activity, reduce number of sexual partners, and increase condom and contraceptive use. Importantly, the evidence shows youth who receive comprehensive sex education are NOT more likely to become sexually active, increase sexual activity, or experience negative sexual health outcomes. Effective programs exist for youth from a variety of racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.1,2,3,4,5

The DASH program is a collaborative community effort, with multiple agencies in the community working together to educate the youth in Peoria Public Schools. The Hult Center for Healthy Living, The Center for Prevention of Abuse, Central Illinois Friends, and some FLASH trained Peoria Public Schools staff assist to teach the FLASH curriculum within the district.

Yes- the state requires medically and scientifically accurate sexual health education. The Family Life and Sexual Health (FLASH) curriculum science based and aligned with standards for sexual health education.

FLASH is based on Theory of Planned Behavior. Lessons include a variety of strategies designed to create positive attitudes, beliefs and norms and to build skills in order to reduce rates of pregnancy, STDs and sexual violence.

FLASH is aligned with CDC’s National Health Education Standards for Sexual Health and the National Sexuality Education Standards, which includes age appropriate standards. This means instruction considers students’ growth and development. These standards span grades K-12. They can be downloaded for free at http://www.futureofsexed.org/fosestandards.html.

Parents have the right to review the comprehensive sexual education curriculum, as well as choose opt-out their child from receiving the instruction. We encourage all parents to review the material before choosing to opt-out. Click on the link below for more information.Request to examine course material (English)

Why do these lessons include discussions of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, including LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender)?

Inclusive means healthier youth and safer, supportive schools. LGBT youth are disproportionately affected by negative sexual health-outcomes. To learn more, see links below. Leaving out LGBT youth in sex education also implies that they are abnormal or not worthy of inclusion- exclusion contributes to the feelings of isolation and rejection, which further influences these negative health outcomes.

In addition, the federal Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2015 states that youth have a right to sexual health information that is evidence-based, age appropriate, medically accurate, inclusive of LGBTQQIA+ youth, and lays out a range of topics to be covered: Anatomy & physiology, Growth & development, Healthy relationships, Prevention of unintended pregnancy and STI’s, Gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, Protection from dating violence, assault, bullying and harassment.

Above all else, Peoria Public School’s values include the education and success of every child.

Will changes be made to ensure that the presentations delivered to children are scientifically based?

The state requires medically accurate sexual health education which includes information about sexual orientation and gender identity as that is what has been confirmed as inherently necessary for comprehensive sexual health education which is medically/scientifically accurate.

Will parents be informed of each topic included in the sex ed curriculum? Do parents have a choice to choose some parts of the curriculum and not others?

State law requires that schools provide an opportunity for individuals, including parents or guardians, to review materials to be used in such class or course. A parent or guardian may submit a written request that his or her child be excused from taking or participating in any class or course in comprehensive sex education. Students who do not attend that portion of a class are not to be penalized in any way for not participating.

Do staff members have to supervise during presentations that conflict with his/her religious beliefs?

That has more to do with the job requirements of the specific position, however a staff members personal opinions/religious beliefs should never get in the way of the public education of a student/child that is not theirs or has different beliefs from them. So, if a staff member chooses to not supervise a presentation because it conflicts with their beliefs which in turn leads to the presentation never happening, then that staff members personal beliefs have prevented a student from learning.

The presenter said that gender can be changed by, "having surgery and taking hormones." Encouraging children to have surgery or take drugs if they are unhappy with themselves is, in my opinion, highly irresponsible and immoral. The speaker also said that, "society teaches us that if you are not white and straight that you are not good enough." As a district, we should be teaching a sex ed curriculum that is based on science not opinion.

Saying gender can be changed through surgery and hormones is medically and scientifically accurate, even though many transgender and non-binary people don't actually seek out surgery or hormones. And it's definitely not encouraging children to have surgery or take drugs if they are unhappy with themselves. Transgender and non-binary folks have always existed and healthcare advancements have allowed folks to seek out care that is affirming of their physical, sexual, and reproductive health needs. Just like folks who are infertile and unhappy about it can access fertility treatment. Such decisions about our bodies and it's functions are related to our overall health and well-being and encourages people to understand their bodies and themselves. It's actually immoral and irresponsible to deny humanity to people based upon an identity they hold, especially when it comes from someone's personal opinion/religious beliefs. Public education is not suppose to prioritize or endorse any religious values as it's supposed to be an inclusive space for all students regardless of their religious identities. And it is a FACT that society teaches us that if you are not white and straight you are not good enough, we see that in who has power in our country and our institutions, who is considered desirable and beautiful in media, and how people who are not white and straight are actually treated. Their experiences of oppression are real, they are not opinions.

The Accurate Sexual Health Education act of Illinois provides guidance on the provision of sex education to students in grades 6 through 12 using programs recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Division of Adolescent and School Health for Exemplary Sexual Health Education (ESHE), Evidence-Based Interventions (EBI), Promising Programs, and Evidence-Informed Programs (EI). These programs include LGBTQ information and have been approved by the CDC, a well respected resource for scientifically accurate informatiob.

Also, the federal Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2015 states that youth have a right to sexual health information that is evidence-based, age appropriate, medically accurate, inclusive of LGBTQQIA+ youth, and lays out a range of topics to be covered: Anatomy & physiology, Growth & development, Healthy relationships, Prevention of untintended pregnancy and STI’s, Gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, Protection from dating violence, assault, bullying and harassment.

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